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30 years of the Rights of the Child
ByJohn MayToday is the 30th anniversary of the signing of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. 30 years ago, I was a young and idealistic teacher, working in a primary school in Lichfield, Staffordshire. I remember reading about the Convention at the time and thinking how surprising it was that no-one had considered…
Farewell to the Award
ByJohn MayOn the 14th October, I had the opportunity to say a few thank yous as I bowed out as Secretary General of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award… Thank you. Two little words that truly say exactly what I want to say this evening. Thank you to the young people and their leaders around the…
Heartstopper Forever: The Ending We Never Thought We’d Get
ByJohn MayToday was the day Heartstopper Forever dropped on Netflix, so Mark and I sat down this evening to watch it, having loved the television series from the beginning.We came away feeling exactly as we hoped we would: happy. Yes, the critics are probably right that the film’s tighter running time means some of the wider…
An end to “soft skills”?
ByJohn May“Soft skills” are in the news at the moment. A quick Google search for media articles on the subject comes up with about 164,000 results. LinkedIn defines them as the skills that are “less tangible and harder to quantify, such as etiquette, getting along with others, listening and engaging in small talk.” Soft skills are…
Opening Ceremony
ByJohn MayThe opening ceremony had been billed as starting at 9:00am. Everyone had got up really early, had packed their tents and put all their luggage on army lorries, ready to transport them to their various expedition centres. The Europeans, at least, were seated in the main arena at 8:30am as requested. I began to realise…
9 tips for a successful Jamboree
ByJohn MayThis summer, 45,000 Scouts from more than 100 countries will converge on West Virginia, USA for the World Scout Jamboree. I was recently asked to provide some suggestions for some UK Scouts for making the most from the experience. (I’ve had the privilege of attending a few Jamborees over the years.) Here’s my starter for…
